Admission Plans

Application to the first-year class may be made through one of three plans: Regular Admission, Early Decision I or Early Decision II.

For all three plans applicants follow the same procedures and are evaluated by the same criteria.

Both the Early Decision I and Early Decision II plans are binding and are most beneficial for the candidate who has thoroughly investigated Bryn Mawr and has found the College to be her clear first choice. The Early Decision II plan differs only in recognizing that some candidates may arrive at a final choice of college later than others.

An Early Decision candidate may not apply Early Decision to any other institution but may apply to another institution under a Regular Decision plan or a non-binding Early Action plan. If admitted to Bryn Mawr College under an Early Decision plan, the student is required to withdraw applications from all other colleges or universities.

An early decision candidate must sign the Common Application Early Decision Agreement indicating that she understands the commitment required. The Early Decision Agreement may be found on the Common Application Web site.

Early Decision candidates will receive one of three decisions: admit, defer to the regular applicant pool, or deny. If admitted to Bryn Mawr, the student is required to withdraw all other applications. If deferred to the regular pool, the student will be reconsidered along with the regular admission applicants and will receive notification in early April. If refused admission, the student may not apply again that year.

The Regular Decision Plan allows candidates to keep open several college options. The Regular Admission Plan is designed for those candidates who wish to keep open several different options for their undergraduate education throughout the admission process. Applications under this plan are accepted anytime before the January 15 deadline.

Timetables for the three plans are as follows:

Fall Early Decision Closing date for applications and all supporting material: November 15
Notification of candidates: by December 15

Winter Early Decision Closing date for applications and all supporting materials: January 1
Notification of candidates: by January 31

Regular Admission Closing date for applications and all supporting materials: January 15
Notification of candidates: by April 1

Entrance Tests and Interviews

Bryn Mawr is now “test flexible.” The new “test flexible”policy will allow Bryn Mawr applicants to select the standardized tests that they believe best represent their academic potential. The standardized testing requirements for students applying to the Undergraduate College under the Regular Decision, Early Decision I, or Early Decision II plans are as follows:

The SAT Reasoning Test and a combination of two different SAT Subject Tests or AP tests or

The ACT or

A combination of three SAT Subject Tests and/or AP tests in the following areas:

Science or Math and

English, History, Languages, Arts or Social Sciences and

Student’s Choice: one subject of the student’s choice but in a subject different from the other two.

Only one non-English language test result may be submitted.

If your first language is not English you may submit the results of one test in your first language, but only as your “student’s choice.” One of your remaining test results must be from subject area 1 and the other must be from subject area 2, as listed above.

Art History
Chinese Language and Culture
English Language
English Literature
European History
French Language
French Literature
German Language
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture
Latin Literature
Latin: Vergil
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
U.S. History
World History

English Literature
World History
U.S. History
Chinese with Listening
French
French with Listening
German
German with Listening
Spanish
Spanish with Listening
Modern Hebrew
Italian
Latin
Japanese with Listening
Korean with Listening

All tests must be completed by the January test date.

In general, the College recommends, but does not require that one of the Subject or AP tests be taken in a foreign language because a (re-centered) score of 690 or above on the Subject test satisfies part of an A.B. degree requirement). A score of “5” on the AP test also satisfies part of an A.B. requirement (see The Academic Program for details on language exemption).
Candidates are responsible for registering with the College Entrance Examination Board, or ACT, Inc. for the tests. Information about the tests, test centers, fees and dates may be obtained by contacting the following:
The College Board: www.collegeboard.com.
ACT, Inc.: www.actstudent/org.com

Interview

An interview either at the College or with an alumna area representative is strongly recommended for all candidates. Interviews should be completed by the deadline of the plan under which the candidate is applying. Appointments for interviews and campus tours should be made in advance by writing or telephoning the Office of Admissions at (610) 526-5152. The Office of Admissions is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. From mid-September through January, the office is also open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A student who is unable to visit the College should visit:www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/alumnae_interview.shtml.

International Students

Bryn Mawr welcomes applications from international students who have outstanding secondary school records and who meet university entrance requirements in their own countries.

Bryn Mawr College accepts the Common Application with a required institutional supplement. The Common Application is available through the Common Application Web site, the Bryn Mawr College Office of Admissions, and many high school guidance offices. The Bryn Mawr College Common Application Supplement may be downloaded from the College's Web site as well. Bryn Mawr exclusively accepts the Common Application and will waive the $50.00 application fee for students who apply using the online option. Fee waivers are available for qualified students.

For more information visit: http://www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/applicationoptions.shtml
All applicants to Bryn Mawr should follow Bryn Mawr’s "test flexible" policy (see above). Bryn Mawr requires official scores be sent by the College Board and/or ACT, Inc. This requirement may be waived only for residents of the People’s Republic of China where the test is not available. The Subject Tests and /or AP exams are highly recommended but not required for those students living abroad. (For all additional testing requirements please follow the guidelines in the section entitled Entrance Tests and Interviews).

If English is not your first language, you must submit the results of the TOEFL* examination or the IELTS** exam. This requirement may be waived for students whose principal language of instruction for the past four years has been English. Bryn Mawr will accept official results of any of the TOEFL tests: computer, paper or Internet-based.*Test of English as a Foreign Language http://www.toefl.org**IELTS www.ielts.org

The minimum standardized testing requirement for international applicants is the SAT test. Official results from two additional SAT Subject Tests or AP Tests are recommended, but not required. International applicants may also take advantage of Bryn Mawr’s “test flexible “option. Details about the “test flexible” option may be found on our Web site: http://www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/test_policy.shtml
(Information about the SAT is available at www.collegeboard.org ) A student may opt to take the ACT test (www.act.org )in place of the SAT. (Because exams are only given on selected dates students should sit for their exams well in advance of the application deadline.)

Students who have not been educated in English or who do not speak English as a native language must present credentials proving their proficiency in English.

Each year a few outstanding students enter the College after the junior year of high school. Students who wish to apply for early admission should plan to complete a senior English course before entrance to the College and should write to the dean of admissions about application procedures. An interview, on campus or with an alumna area representative, is required of early admission candidates.

A student admitted to the College may defer entrance to the freshman class for one year, provided that she writes to the dean of admissions requesting deferred entrance by May 1, the Candidates' Reply Date.

Credit for Advanced Placement Tests and International Exams

Students who have carried advanced work in school and who have honor grades (5 in Art History, English, Environmental Science, French, Government and Politics, History, Music Theory, Psychology and Spanish; 4 or 5 in most other subjects) on the Advanced Placement Tests of the College Board may, after consultation with the dean and the departments concerned, be admitted to one or more advanced courses in the first year at the College. Bryn Mawr accepts Advanced Placement Tests with honor grades in the relevant subjects as exempting the student from College requirements for the A.B. degree. With the approval of the dean and the departments concerned, one or more Advanced Placement Tests with honor grades may be presented for credit. Students receiving six or more units of credit may apply for advanced standing. The Advanced Placement Tests are given at College Board centers in May. For more information, visit www.brynmawr.edu/registrar/AcadRegs/APexam.shtml .

Bryn Mawr recognizes the academic rigor of the International Baccalaureate program and awards credit as follows:

Students who present the full International Baccalaureate diploma with a total score of 30 or better and honor scores in three higher-level exams normally receive one year's credit.

Those with a score of 35 or better, but with honor scores in fewer than three higher-level exams, receive two units of credit for each honor score in higher-level exams plus two for the exam as a whole.

Those with a score of less than 30 receive two units of credit for each honor score in a higher-level exam.

*Honors scores are considered to be 6 or 7 in English, French, History and Spanish; 5, 6 or 7 in other subjects.

Bryn Mawr also recognizes and awards credit for other international exams. Depending upon the quality of the examination results, Bryn Mawr may award credit for Advanced Levels on the General Certificate of Education (GCE), the French Baccalaureate, German Abitur and other similar exams.

Some placement tests are given at the College during Customs Week (Bryn Mawr's orientation program for new students) and students can consult with their dean about the advisability of taking these placement tests.

Home-Schooled Students

Students who have received home-schooling must submit the following additional information with the Application for Admission to Bryn Mawr College.

Official transcripts from any high school(s) or postsecondary institution(s) attended.

An academic portfolio that includes:

A transcript of courses taken, either self-designed which includes reading lists and syllabi, or a formal document from a correspondence school or agency;

Evaluations or grades received for each subject;

A short research paper, preferably completed within the last year (including evaluator's comments);

Two letters of reference from sources other than parents.

An additional essay on the reasons for choosing home-schooling.

An interview (on campus or telephone) with a member of the admissions staff.

Each year a number of students are admitted on transfer to the sophomore and junior classes. Successful transfer candidates have done excellent work at other colleges and universities and present strong high-school records that compare favorably with those of women entering Bryn Mawr as first-year students. Students who have failed to meet the prescribed standards of academic work or who have been put on probation, suspended or excluded from other colleges and universities will not be admitted under any circumstances.

Transfer candidates should file applications as early as possible but no later than March 15 for entrance in September, or no later than November 1 for the second semester of the year of entrance. Application forms and instructions may be requested from the transfer coordinator.

The minimum standardized testing requirement for transfer applicants is the SAT test. Official results from two additional SAT Subject Tests or AP Tests are recommended, but not required. Transfer applicants may also take advantage of Bryn Mawr’s “test flexible” option. Details about the “test flexible” option may be found on our Web site: http://www.brynmawr.edu/admissions/test_policy.shtml
(Information about the SAT is available at www.collegeboard.org ) A student may opt to take the ACT test (www.act.org ) in place of the SAT. (Because exams are only given on selected dates students should sit for their exams well in advance of the application deadline.)

To qualify for the A.B. degree, students ordinarily should have completed a minimum of two years of full-time study at Bryn Mawr.

The Katharine E. McBride Scholars Program

The Katharine E. McBride Scholars Program serves women beyond the traditional college entry age who wish to earn an undergraduate degree at Bryn Mawr. The program admits women who have demonstrated talent, achievement and intelligence in various areas, including employment, volunteer activities and home or formal study. McBride Scholars are admitted directly as matriculated students.

Once admitted to the College, McBride scholars are subject to the residency rule, which requires that a student take a minimum of 24 course units while enrolled at Bryn Mawr. Exceptions will be made for students who transfer more than eight units from previous work. Such students may transfer up to 16 units and must then take at least 16 units at Bryn Mawr. McBride Scholars may study on a part-time or full-time basis. For more information, visit the McBride Program Web page at www.brynmawr.edu/mcbride, send an e-mail to mcbrides@brynmawr.edu or call (610) 526-5373.

A student who has withdrawn from the College must apply for permission to return. She should consult her dean concerning the application process and be prepared to demonstrate that she is ready to resume work at Bryn Mawr.